The present invention generally relates to removable media, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for receiving a removable media member.
Over the past several decades there has been an ever increasing use of devices and systems that use, in one form or another, a removable media member. Some illustrative removable media members include, for example, removable or replaceable filters, removable ink and toner cartridges, removable data storage devices such as magnetic or optical disks, removable magnetic tape cartridges, removable memory sticks, etc.
A limitation of many of the existing systems is that the alignment tolerance between the inserted removable media member and the receiving device is often not very precise. In some cases, the receiving device simply includes a slot for receiving the removable media member. In other cases, a more complex mechanical mechanism is provided, such as the mechanical mechanism used in a conventional Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) for receiving VCR tapes. For some applications, the alignment tolerance that can be achieved using these existing systems is not adequate.
Another limitation with many existing systems is that provisions are typically not made for including one or more electrical or optical devices on or in the removable media member. For some applications, however, it may be desirable to provide one or more electrical and/or optical devices on or in the removable media member. In addition, it may be desirable to provide one or more electrical, optical and/or wireless links or connections between the electrical and/or optical devices on or in the removable media and the receiving device so that, for example, various functions may be performed by the removable media member.